Talking about myself Flashcards
Tell us about yourself
I am originally from Curitiba, south of Brazil. I graduated in Biological Sciences and got my PhD in Vegetation Science from Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. After graduated I’ve been developing research as postdoctoral researcher internationally. I have worked at the same university I got my PhD and at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. My research focuses on increasing scientific understanding of plant biodiversity and its drivers of change and applying that knowledge to range management, grassland restoration and biodiversity conservation. At University of Nebraska-Lincoln I was involved in two main projects. One aimed to quantify the impact of high intensity rotational grazing on plant-soil-animal interactions. The other project, aimed to quantify the impact of disturbance interactions and extreme weather events on vegetation descriptors.
During my postdoc I designed and taught student-centered courses in English and Portuguese, to both undergraduate and graduate students. The courses I taught were on soil ecology, field ecology and data science in a variety of settings, including lab and field courses.
Working as a postdoctoral researcher allowed me to develop many skills and abilities such as designing and teaching student-centered courses; mentoring students from diverse backgrounds and collaborating in research; build, manage and analyze large spatio-temporal datasets; manage international and multidisciplinary research groups; participate in outreach and extension activities; measurement, modelling and monitoring of ecosystem services.
I am very excited about this opportunity because I feel that my formal education and research experience have given me the necessary foundations for this position.
Tell us about your work/ research
My research focuses on understanding plant-soil-animal response to environmental factors and management practices, using taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic metrics as well as soil-climate attributes through big data analytics. Statistical analysis are an important component of my research and allow me to disentangle the complex factors that govern these interactions and enable the development of sustainable land use and management strategies. I am particularly passionate about studying the relative impact of human activity, such as prescribed fire, grazing management, and human-induced extreme climatic events on patterns and processes in plant communities.
Tell us about your goals.
Make the difference in students lives and contributing to the advance of the research field and to make science more accessible to the public.
My career goal is to teach at a university where I can teach and mentor both undergraduate and graduate students while continue to conduct high-quality research.
My research goal is to do research on the topic I love that is Agroecology + externally funded + lab with students
Teaching and mentoring goals: Promote scientific thinking/reasoning and enable student to apply their newly-acquired knowledge and skills to tackle real-life problems; and one important goal is to ensure a multicultural environment, providing students with opportunities to gain cross-cultural experience and geographic exposure thus enhancing their international experience and common understanding of rural issues around the world.
Tell us about your service activities.
I have been doing service for the research community, research association and University.
Research community: I have been reviewing papers for 24 different journals since 2011, focusing mainly on Rangeland Ecology and Management.
Since 2018 I am part in the Editorial board of two international journals (Oecologia Australis and Vegetation Classification and Survey). Right now I am serving as a Gest editor for a special issue on Neotropical Vegetation for the same journal.
At the Research Association level: I have been serving as part of the Membership committee of the IAVS: It aims to promote the inclusion of researchers from underrepresented countries in the IAVS research organization.
University Program/Department: Advising/mentoring students,
serving as a committee member for comprehensive examination of students thesis work; Coordinating professional development activities for students; Organizing/Coordinating extension and outreach activities.
Describe your degree of involvement in your professional associations/conferences.
I am currently member of two research organizations:
IAVS and SRM (acronym for Society for Range Management).
I am a more active member of the IAVS association.
Since 2018 I am part in the Editorial board of Vegetation Classification and Survey, which is one of the 3 journals sponsored by the IAVS. Right now I am serving as invited editor for a special issue on Neotropical Vegetation for the same journal.
Besides that, I have been serving as part of the Membership committee of the IAVS: It aims to promote the inclusion of researchers from underrepresented countries in the IAVS research organization.
